Conventional rear projection screens use a thin diffusing layer in the form of a matte screen. An image is projected onto the back of the diffusing layer, where it is diffused and scattered into the viewing environment. The diffusing layer provides an image surface and its diffusive nature serves to increase the viewing angles from which the image can be observed. In order to provide good image quality, it is desirable for these projection screens to provide high image contrast and sharp image quality.
Conventional rear projection screens often suffer from poor image contrast in well-lit rooms, at least in part, from the scattering of ambient light back into the viewing environment. This backscattered ambient light deleteriously affects the black levels, and therefore contrast, of the rear projection screen. Furthermore, conventional rear projection screens often suffer from reduced image sharpness or image blur due to stray light in the projection path preceding the image plane of the projection screen. Stray light (i.e., display light with sufficiently large non-normal angles) emitted from the display source at a given display pixel location should be prevented from entering the optical path reserved for an adjacent display pixel prior to the display light reaching the image plane.